Transportation box for baby chicks



Fb 4, 1947. K.' l. MILLER l 2,415,143

y 'A TRANSPORTATION BOX FOR BABY CHICXS Filed Aug. 14, '1944 l Patented Feb. 4, 1947 UNITED s'rATss PATIENT OFFICE TRANSPORTATION BOX FOR BABY CH1CK-S Kinney I. Miller, Lancaster; -Mo.

Application August 14, 1344, ASerial No. 549,347

My invention relates to a transportation box for baby chicks.

There exists a large industry in the shipment of baby chicks and the like. Baby chicks and other small poultry are quite delicate and great care must be taken in shipping them. Many ofthe boxes used commercially for this purpose have ordinary r'lat bottoms. In shipment these fiat bottom boxes may be placed on a damp platform or in the snow or on a hot concrete oor. In either of such contingencies the baby chicks may be injured by cold or heat. Also it sometimes occurs that baby chicks are stacked with the flat bottom of one placed on the flat top portion of another box in such a Way as to close the ventilation holes in the top of the lower box.

It is an object of my present invention to provide a box which Will eliminate all of the bad features mentioned above by providing means for raising the bottom of the box slightly above the surface on which the box rests.

In accomplishing my purpose, it is also my object to utilize quite a number of features of construction which are already in practical com mercial use in my bo-xes. In such boxes particularly I may employ the rib structures such as are shown on the lids of the boxes in my Patent No. 2,320,245, issued May 25, 1943, except that the ribs are placed on the `bottom of the box instead of on :the top. This enables me to utilize certain dies and die processes and methods, and experience of manufacture already available in the chick transportation boxes which I have produced by the modification and further improvement over my .previous box. The bottom has ribs which support the box and lift the bottom on which the chicks are supported to a level above the surface on Which the box rests. The ribs whereby the bottom of the box is thus raised, are such as to afford troughs on the inside of the box and it is therefore desirable to provide a, false bottom. Heretofore it has been the common practice to use in chicks boxes excelsior pads or the like which give the chicks a rm footing so that they will not slide into one corner if the box is tipped a little, and which also afford absorbent material for the droppings. Where my improvement of the present invention is used, these excelsior pads will be omitted and I use instead a thin false bottom of corrugated Paper With liner on the underside 01115.

It is also my purpose to provide, Vat least optionally, similarly arranged ribs at the sides of my improved box Which function .for ventilation ,andlalso tokeep thel boxspaced from other boxes 4 claims. (C1. 22a-,6)

2 or any Wall or the like which might shut off the holes Aat the ,sides of the box.

"Certain details which v,are `of some importance gto present invention"will appear as thedes cription proceeds. A A' "With these and other objects in View, my invention consists the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device `whereby thebjectscontemplated are attained, as hereinafter ,more fully set forth, pointed out in y claims ,andfillustrated in the accompanying dravvin g,'wherein:

Figure 1 is a. plan View of a blank sheet of heavy cardboard from which my improved chick box `may be made. i FfgureZ is Va top or plan view of the box made from the blank Vshown in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the bcx.

improved chick box is preferably made from heavy cardboard into a cartonlike box. The features of `theimprovements'aresuch that the box may be `made very cheaply and inexpensively by 'stamping blanks such as that shown in Figure 1 and indicated generally by the reference nnumeral l.

in the showing of the blank I, the dotted lines Within the outline indicate creases and the full line indicates slits.` In the blank, the portions 2 ultimately `form Athe ends of the finished box. These ends'2 have end flaps 3. Each end flap 3 is connected to its end vat the creased line 4|. IEach `enol'ilap is severed from that portion of the-blank which is intended to form a side of the box asindicated at the vslit orcut -5. Each end member is connected along the creased line 6 with the portion of the blank forming the bottom of thebox.

-At 'ir-l---l I'have indicated the points which l are atthe cor-nersof the bottom of the completed box. v"Ilhelarea Within thefcur corners .'l formsthe .bottom 4of .thecompleted.boxandis indicated at 8. Att-97919 Ihave ndicatedthe points which will .be atthe top .corners of thecompleted box. VIhusfit Willbe seenthat the area Within the :four corn,ersS- zl -,L'l9 at the top .of .Figure land the areawithin the `four .corners 9.-,1-1-19 at the bottom part of Figure lare intendedto form the `sides of ,thecompleted 44Abox. Each ofthese side areas'lil is .connected to the tbottomarea, 8.along .lines Whoharecreasedatil l, [2,13, I4, landll .andslitat 11,48. lftand 241 v1I shall now; describe the arrangement and construction of the blank which permitsthe provision of the ribs on the bottom of `the iinished `box,andeat the ,sides of :the: finished box. Each gblankis creasedirom oneside to theother along the slit |1 and the crease line 2|.

` also slit from the ends of the slit 21 and at right angles thereto by slits 29, 29 extending to the adjacent creased line 2|.

The material bounded by the slits 26 and 28 and one of the creased lines 2| is indicated at 38 and forms a tongue connected to the bottom 8 along one edge in the creased line 2|. The purpose of this tongue will later appear. The material bounded by the slits 29, 21, 29 and a part of one of the creased lines 2| forms a similar tongue 38. The blank is creased along the lines 3|, 32, 33, 34. Thus the crease 3| extends from the side of the blank to the slit 28. The creased line 32 extends from the lower side of the blank to the lower slit 28. The crease line 33 extends from the top of the blank to the upper slit 29,

and the crease line 34 extends from the lower edge of the blank to the lower slit 29.

la'rib on the bottom of the completed box. A

similar rib is formed by that area of the blank bounded by the lower slit 28, the crease line 23, Another such l.bounded by the crease line 2|, the slit I8, crease line 25 and the slit 29. While I have shown provision for two ribs on the bottom of the box, it will be understood that more may be used if desired.

i In the side-forming portions IIJ of the blank,

parts are cut away at 35 in the top and bottom pf the blank to leave notches as shown. The

l parts of the blank indicated at 36 ultimately form the ribs on the sides of the box. The sides I and theends 2 may be provided with knock-outs 31 which, in use of the box, may be punched out to the extent they may be desired for aiording ventilation. `1 I shall now describe the process of forming the box from the blank. This description is illustrative` only.

4The tongues 30 are raised slightly along 'hinge lines so as to be out of the plane of the blank. The blank is then bent along the lines 3l and 32 and 33, 34 to form a downwardly extending rib R Von the bottom of the box, see Figure 3. The free kedges of the tongues 30 will then overlap a part `of the box bottom and these overlapping portions are fastened tothe box bottom by staples as indicated at 38.. The sides' |0 are bent to upright position. Each side will then have a pairr of ribs `Rf| as shown in the top view of Figure 2. It will be noted that by the provision of the cut-out portions 35 heretofore mentioned, the ribs R-l terminate short of the top of the 'box so that they do not interfere with putting an ordinary lid on the box. The ends 2 are then bent up and the end flaps are bent to overlap .the sides 0 as shown in Figure 2 and are stapled tothe sides I0 as indicated at 39. V'Ihe end flaps 4 3 overlap the sides I llto the ribs R-I and serve to brace the box and cause it to retain its proper shape.

The ribs R serve to support the box with its top in raised position. The tongues 30 however being stapled hold the ribs R against spreading.

The -side ribs R-I are provided with knockouts 48 which aiord ventilation and will be again referred to. The ribs R in the bottom of the box form troughs. Unless these are covered up, the baby chicks might crowd into the trough and smother each other. I therefore put into the completed box a false bottom indicated at 4|, made up of corrugated paper with a liner on its underside, and which covers the troughs' formed by the ribs R and affords a rough bottom for the box so that the chicks will not slip or slide into the corners, and also affords absorbent material. This false bottom 4| does away with the need for asbestos pads.

My improved chick box is of such structure that the ribs R hold the box above the surface on which it rests. They keep the box off the cold iloor in cold weather and keep it oi hot pavements and permit ventilation under it in warm weather. They utilize available equipment and known processes of manufacture, so that they can be economically provided.

The ribs R| at the sides oi the box afford Ventilating flues which admit air to the box but deflect it in entering so that it does not flow directly on the chicks. The knock-outs 40 can be knocked out to afford further Ventilation if desired and the aircoming in through these openings is not so likely to blow directly on the chicks as that entering through ordinary ventilation holes. It has been noted that the ribs R--l terminate at their upper ends at such a height as to permit proper ventilation without interfering with the installation of the box cover. By providing the side ribs R-l in line with the bottom ribs R, the cost of die making is kept down.

It will of course be understood that the box is intended to be used with an ordinary cover not here shown. Such covers may be flat so that a 1. In a box for shipping young chicks, a bottom having transverse portions shaped to form downwardly projecting ribs, and having tongues for securing together the parts-of the box bottom on opposite sides of the ribs, said box having sides with similar ribs, aligned with the respective bottom ribs, terminating short of the top of the box a suiiicient distance to avoid interference with the use of a iianged cover and forming Ventilating flues and means .to space other articles from the box. y

2. In a box for shipping young chicks, a bottom having transverse portions shaped to form downwardly projecting ribs, and having tongues for securing together the parts of the box bottom on opposite sides of the ribs, said box having sides with similar ribs, aligned withtherespective bottom ribs, .terminating short of. the

'v top of the box and forming Ventilating flues and means to space other articles from the box, said box having ends, with aps overlapping the sides to the adjacent side ribs, to brace the ribs.

3. A box for shipping young chicks, having of the box to avoid interfering with the flange of a flanged cover for said box.

KINNEY I. MULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name lDate 1,706,804 Miller Mar, 26, 1929 1,595,385 Cusack Aug.. 10, 1926 930,216 McClung Aug. 3, 1909 1,617,059 Lamboy Febl. 8, 1927 1,610,285 Hodge Dec. 14, 1926 2,113,097 Schaefer Apr. 5, 1938 

